Sacramento, January 23, 2026 – Governor Newsom, along with Governors Tina Kotek of Oregon and Bob Ferguson of Washington, submitted formal opposition to the Trump administration’s plan to open the California coast to new offshore oil and gas drilling. The three governors submitted a joint comment letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management opposing the inclusion of any new oil and gas lease sales off California’s coast.

The California Natural Resources Agency also submitted formal comments opposing the offshore drilling proposal, highlighting the threat to California’s marine ecosystems, its coastal communities, and economy.

“This is not a partisan or geographic issue. Over the last four decades, California leaders have expressed consistent, united opposition to any new offshore oil and gas activities,” wrote California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot. “In 2006, 2008, 2014, and 2017, Republican and Democratic governors in California, Oregon, and Washington sent letters to the President of the United States and to Congress supporting moratoria on new offshore oil and gas leasing and opposing any efforts to renew and expand oil and gas leasing off the entire West Coast. The economic, environmental, and community risks of expanded offshore drilling are simply too great.”

---

Protecting a healthy, resilient coast and ocean for all Californians is central to OPC’s mission and to California’s long-standing coastal and marine stewardship. As outlined in OPC’s 2026–2030 Strategic Plan: Safeguarding Our Coast and Ocean for All Californians, coast and ocean health is inseparable from sustaining a thriving blue economy and protecting coastal communities, cultural lifeways, and marine ecosystems.

Expanding offshore drilling poses unacceptable risks to these shared priorities and undermines decades of progress toward a clean, safe, and sustainable coast and ocean for future generations.